Landscape Approaches to Agrobiodiversity Conservation and UseDunja Mijatovic, Yasuyuki Morimoto, Patrick Maundu, Nadia Bergamini, Devra Jarvis and Pablo EyzaguirreBioversity International

Photo: USDA

• Presenting evidence, examples and key concepts.

• Interdisciplinary approach: bringing together findings from the fields of conservation biology, ecology, ethnobotany and anthropology.

• Meta-analysis of Bioversity International’s in situ conservation projects’ outcomes.

Bioversity International’s research sites

Farm fields: 24 cropsHome gardensDiversity for pest and disease mitigation

Fruit tress in Central AsiaDate palm in North AfricaBananas in East Africa

Crop wild relativesTropical fruit trees in South-East AsiaLandscape mosaics

A Global Review:

• Agrobiodiversity as an emergent property of the intended and unintended effects of human actions that lead to modifications or transformations of landscape and ecological relationships (Howard 2010).

• Agricultural resilience and sustainability as a function of beneficial links between different agrobiodiversity components (pollinators, soil biota, tree species) at a landscape scale.

A landscape perspective on agrobiodiversity

Agricultural biodiversity

Degree of landscape modification

Production systems mimicking the structure of surrounding

ecosystems

x

Human-made vegetation ‘islands’ in harsh environments

xx

Culture, land use history and biodiversity

Photographs F. van Oudenhoven

Why a landscape approach to conservation?

Maintaining the diversity of landscapes, agro-ecosystems, species and varieties to sustain adaptation: • Natural and cultural selection (diverse niches,

multiple uses)• Seed flow (informal exchange networks)• Domestication (wild fruit tree species)• Gene flow (cross-pollination)• Crop wild relatives (stress-resistance)• Innovation

Agrobiodiversity in a changing landscape

Agrobiodiversity conservation and use in Kitui, KenyaA case study

Photographs Yasu Morimoto

Maintaining agricultural biodiversity in mosaic landscapes for continued

evolution and adaptation, sustainability and resilience

Landscape approach to agrobiodiversity conservation and use:

• Conserving agrobiodiversty (plants, animals, pollinators, soil biota, crop wild relatives) at various scales (from genetic to landscape level);

• Sustaining evolution and adaptation processes that maintain and generate diversity;

• Encouraging the use of agrobiodiversity and innovation to enhance resilience and sustainability;

• Empowering local communities and strengthening their role as innovators and custodians of genetic resources.